Back from Vegas, but more on that later because all I can think about right now is sleeeeeeeeep! Hopefully the wonderful, clean, fresh air here will expedite the recovery process though.

Mabon signifies the autumnal equinox and at the Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons, CO, it’s a time to celebrate with some down-home bluegrass music, home cooked food, an overabundance of libations, and down to earth fun. Last night Adam Aijala and Ben Kaufmanm of the Yonder Mountain String Band, jammed for almost 3 hours as part of the Mabon festival. For these 2 dudes, bluegrass is their passion and jamming is their specialty. Between these 2 gifted musicians, they played the bass, rhythm, steel, and celtic guitars, the banjo and mandolin, harmonica and keyboards (used during Pink Floyd’s “The Thin Ice”), alternating between each instrument with ease and panache. Adam and Ben kept the show mellow but lively, strumming away for a modest 400 people. However, it was Zoe who stole the show. Zoe, Adam’s dog, had been wandering around the grounds throughout the day and wanted an up close piece of the action on stage, so just a few songs in to the first set, she sauntered on stage affectionately lying down at the guys’ feet. And so it was that Zoe stole the hearts of the audience.

It pays to know someone who knows someone because after the show we got to chill with the crew backstage thanks to Shawn “the Mayor” Hines who knows just about everyone in the state of Colorado (it pays off to work for a company that allows you to trade beer for schwag). Although last night was an intimate sort of show, I had to keep reminding myself that these guys, along with Yonder, play sold out shows at places like Red Rocks. To be sitting around shooting the shit with these 2 guys who are totally unpretentious and goofy was pretty cool. Ben, literally hanging out in his kilt, has quite a repertoire of jokes (most not appropriate for kids), Adam is the more soft spoken of the two, and both are friendly, nice guys.

And now, it’s Vegas baby.

October Cyclocross

Straight from Red Rocks to San Francisco. Hopped the plane to SF early Saturday morning for the first annual San Francisco Twilight Criterium - not a race I wanted to miss. I mean, it’s SF and all so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. It’s not often that the streets of SF get shut down for a bike race, ya know. So, Erica, Kat and I rolled up to the start stoked to be racing together one last time. We raced hard…and then had a good night out on the town. At some point early in the morning we cabbed it back to our “host” house for the night - a $4000/month apt on Union St. A rather swanky place, for sure. The best part was waking up in the morning and strolling down the street for breakfast at some hip cafe and then window shopping on the way home. Not that I could ever live in “The City” but it’s times like this weekend that make me really miss SF.

After recovering slightly from our night out, we packed up the car to head across the GGB to Kat and Janelle’s place in Sausalito (the city at which point the cyclists from SF can peel off the layers because they are no longer enshrouded in thick fog) - another swanky apartment that sits up in the hills with a wicked view over the waterfront. Really, I could get used to their lifestyle. Having little motivation to do much else besides be lazy, we decided to do something low key that afternoon so we saw “Burn After Reading”. Definitely a must see movie. Funny, twisted, and off the wall as all Coen Brothers movies are.

Then, the damn fog had to delay my flight out of SF on Monday so it was another wasted day sitting in another airport. That’s alright, the weekend was worth the delay.

Good times, good times.

Wow. Wow! What a wicked show. Finally, after years of patiently waiting to see a show at Red Rocks, I got my first taste of the mountain high magic last night with Tristan Prettyman, John Butler Trio, and G Love and Special Sauce. We rocked up to the venue just as JBT was getting their groove on - perfect timing - and I was in total awe of the ambience. I mean, first, we were so lucky that the rain gods decided to put a stop to the madness, allowing the moon to shine down in full effect as it hung out right above the stage. Then, JBT had the crowd on their feet dancing like mad to the hip and powerful beat - me being one of the many to Get Funky Tonight (my favorite song). And while I truly enjoyed JBT, I have to say G Love and Special Sauce stole the show, alternating between funk, hip-hop and soul throughout the night. They absolutely killed it! Amazing how much soulful, energetic sound 4 guys can make. And the beat that G Love rips on the harmonica is off the hook! We danced all night to most of the songs on the Sauce’s new album, Superhero Brother, but the crowd went nuts when the guys rocked the house with of their signature songs “Baby’s Got Sauce” in one of the first encores. The crowd was particularly stoked, too, when G Love threw a jab at Sarah Pahlin in his political diddy, “Superhero Brother”. Finally, with all the band members from Tristan Prettyman, JBT, and G Love on the stage, the night came to a close with “Sympathy for the Devil”, which left the crowd completely exhausted from a show that was over the top.

Peace, love, and happiness